Could a Aussie tell us how your Government confiscated your guns?

[LWG]

The force of arms has been used in this country to thwart tyranny as recently as 1946. No less a figure than Eleanor Roosevelt wrote:

"When the people decide that conditions in their town, county, state or country must change, they will change them. If the leadership has been wise, they will be able to do it peacefully through a secret ballot which is honestly counted, but if the leader has become inflated and too sure of his own importance, he may bring about the kind of action which was taken in [the battle of Athens]."

 

[kenmac]

Would you be able to hire Armed Guards in Australia ?? The Journal News, paper which released info on pistol permit holders, hires armed guards | al.com

 

[crazyal]

Being right on the border with Canada I can't count the number of time friends have come down to the US to buy guns they can't legally buy up there. Usually pistols because, if I understand the law correctly, they need to be kept at a gun range. If I had to guess I bet there are a lot more guns in Canada than the people who think their laws are working just fine realize.

Personally I think very little is going to happen in the US. ***** doesn't have the muscle needed to pass any gun laws so it'll be left up to the states. Even then most states will do very little as most gun owners understand that rarely do lawmakers with an agenda stop after getting one law passed so they are not going to lay down.

 

[weedpharma]

Interesting comments on a very emotive subject.

IMO, as a participant in Australian Gun Buy Back, it was nothing more than a political knee jerk reaction appeasing the mass outrage to a single horrific & tragic event.

Did it remove weapons from the streets ? A most, maybe marginally short term. Has is it done anything to curb illegal gun ownership/use ? Only if you're dreaming....gun crime & illegal gun ownership has not change appreacably + or -, & statistically in Australia no conclusions can be draw to any impact on mass shootings due to their extremely rare occurence.

For sporting & farm shooters the buy back was welcomed on some fronts, mostly because the government paid over the odds for aged & obsolete weapons allowing legal shooters to be paid extra dollars during the buy back & upgrade/replace later........

Sure there's increased restrictions effecting legal gun ownership & law abiding citizens, but the maximum penalties for illegal ownership/use are so rarely imposed they're insignficant to create any deterent for those already bent on a criminal existent......so criminals continue to readily access weapons & law abiding citizens are curtailed in their ownership......
Arguably, also now the fringe "nutters" may potentially have less access to firearms & correspondingly because of government welfare cut backs less access to mental healthcare.....so if/when another random mass attack occurs in Australia it is in theory less likely to involve a legally obtained firearm than an illegal firearm or perhaps other means of mass destruction, hardly a sobering thought....

To each his own. IMHO I disagree. The day Australia goes down the same firearms path as USA will be a very sad day.

I have noted that few Australians have entered into this discussion. Seems that maybe this indicates a low interest in the subject as we have such a safe (relatively) way of life.

Weedpharma

 

[MikeFarm]

Hi all

hchxoom ... I didn't really follow how your comments on political freedom related to your perceived necessity to have military style guns unless you thought that it's likely that you would have a need to overthrow your own elected government. Just wait 4 years and vote them out like we do In Australia we can own guns but not automatic or semi-automatic. It's just not necessary for city folk to have guns. Very few aussies are in gun clubs. They can have guns but not military style and farmers sometimes have a gun for putting down stock. It's not useful for protection as its locked in a cabinet (by law) and unloaded. That's about it. Just as someone earlier said - its very much a historical thing as to whether a countries citizens feel they need guns. America is pretty much by its lonesome there along with Imperial measurements

Mike

 

[alchemysa]

Well, we're very happy that you, as a subject to the whims of your government, are happy.

So you think I was just one of the sheep going along with whatever the Government wanted?

You have to remember our situation was very different to yours. We had the opportunity to make a change to our gun laws BEFORE things got out of control, as they obviously have in the US. We didnt have a multitude of assault weapons in the hands of fruitcakes, and the law was changed to ensure it wouldnt happen in the future either. We had couple of mass killings, and it was pretty clear, by seeing what was happening in the US, that it would only get worse.

You have your reasons for wanting guns. Protecting yourself from the Government is one of them that I find pretty unrealistic but thats your business. Protecting my kids from rampaging maniacs was something I felt was more important over here so I happily agreed with the buyback.

 

[daugen]

Just because something works for a small island country like Australia

Australia actually is a HUGE island country, with a terrain that could be compared to our Wild West, looking back in time.
Perhaps because they didn't completely wipe out the aborigines who used arrows, like our American Indians, not everyone felt the need
to go to guns. But here's a "rough and ready" self-reliant sort of country, and they found a way to grow and prosper without guns or a gun culture.
Remember, the world really does think we Americans are "cowboys" in our own right.
Luckily, for most, we are Roy Rogers coming in to save the day...

Maybe it's just a matter of time before the criminal element comes in to Australia, likely already has in the cities, bringing with them serious firepower illegally
obtained. Then like the British, they will need guns to combat guns.

Crazy people sometimes plan their murderous sprees to the last detail, but sometimes like in China, it's a weapon of convenience, the kitchen knife used in slashing
dozens of little kids in a classroom. That seems to be the weapon of choice for Chinese crazies.

But don't let them come for your boomerangs...

 

[MikeFarm]

Hi all

"But don't let them come for your boomerangs..."
Very good. But I'm not worried, they have a tendency to come back.

Mike

 

[daugen]

Well, we're very happy that you, as a subject to the whims of your government, are happy.

Roy, something tells me they are happier with their government than we are with ours.
Since tax policy is often entwined with feelings about the government, I wonder if Australians are happier about the fairness
of their taxation.

And maybe they don't have "undesirable elements" coming over their borders. Just your "normal" tired, poor, hungry immigrants.
Gosh, I wonder how they keep those headhunters from Borneo out?...

The Australians are doing their own thing, and it seems to work for them. Let's not be too hasty in dismissing their social achievement.
**** Sapiens sadly is a violent species. And we sure like guns. Maybe Australia's island status helps keep the guns away.
Whatever, I wish them well. We Americans may have gotten into a point of a society so saturated with guns that many feel they have no choice but
to arm themselves. Fighting fire with fire, firepower with firepower. And like the nuclear arms race, it's gotten out of hand. Wait until Iran goes live with that reactor
and see how scary things get. For many of us, guns are scary things too, and as a life long pacifist, they aren't my friend. But they aren't my enemy either.
I'm old enough to know better. I remember ****** and Germany too well. Sure affected my family. Look at Switzerland now. Every household with an assault rife. They remember ****** too.

First ban and eliminate all nuclear weapons. Before North Korea in its national paranoid mental illness sends the next rocket that actually works towards LA.
Or Israel takes out that Iranian nuclear plant, like we all know they will. Quite the game of global chicken going on there.

Then let's work on reducing the number of guns in circulation. Let us beat our guns into plowshares. Someday I hope we can.

 

[k0ua]

Well, we're very happy that you, as a subject to the whims of your government, are happy.

Roy, something tells me they are happier with their government than we are with ours.
Since tax policy is often entwined with feelings about the government, I wonder if Australians are happier about the fairness
of their taxation.

And maybe they don't have "undesirable elements" coming over their borders. Just your "normal" tired, poor, hungry immigrants.
Gosh, I wonder how they keep those headhunters from Borneo out?...

The Australians are doing their own thing, and it seems to work for them. Let's not be too hasty in dismissing their social achievement.
**** Sapiens sadly is a violent species. And we sure like guns. Maybe Australia's island status helps keep the guns away.
Whatever, I wish them well. We Americans may have gotten into a point of a society so saturated with guns that many feel they have no choice but
to arm themselves. Fighting fire with fire, firepower with firepower. And like the nuclear arms race, it's gotten out of hand. Wait until Iran goes live with that reactor
and see how scary things get. For many of us, guns are scary things too, and as a life long pacifist, they aren't my friend. But they aren't my enemy either.
I'm old enough to know better. I remember ****** and Germany too well. Sure affected my family. Look at Switzerland now. Every household with an assault rife. They remember ****** too.

First ban and eliminate all nuclear weapons. Before North Korea in its national paranoid mental illness sends the next rocket that actually works towards LA.
Or Israel takes out that Iranian nuclear plant, like we all know they will. Quite the game of global chicken going on there.

Then let's work on reducing the number of guns in circulation. Let us beat our guns into plowshares. Someday I hope we can.

There is nothing wrong with Nuclear weapons in our hands.. No need to ban them. We are perfectly safe with Nukes, unless you are threatening us you will be fine. If you are then we will kill your *****. Why are we afraid of Nukes in the hands of North Korea and Iran? Because the are both run by insane people. yes that is right INSANE. We (the whole world) are afraid they will use them irrationally. There is nothing wrong with weapons in my hands, I will not harm you. Unless you are trying to harm me, then I will kill your *****. There are insane and criminal people that we would not like to have weapons, we need to address that.